


Where you from you sexy thing?

by endlessnightlock (Endlessnightlock)



Series: One Night Stands (aka One-Shot Collection) [8]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Mutual Pining, Slight Shenanigans, Swearing, TWO IDIOTS, Yearning, and some sweetness, sexy Buttercup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25680961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endlessnightlock/pseuds/endlessnightlock
Summary: After a date gone awry, Peeta commiserates with Buttercup over his unrequited love for Katniss.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: One Night Stands (aka One-Shot Collection) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2001196
Comments: 20
Kudos: 96





	Where you from you sexy thing?

**Author's Note:**

> Just cross-posting this from Tumblr.

Peeta flopped on the couch and propped his stocking feet on the coffee table. He picked up the glass of whiskey he'd poured for himself and let out a deep sigh- the sound was louder and much more pronounced than typical, but dammit, he was _tired._

Tonight neither of his roommates were to be had anywhere, so if he wanted to be dramatic while settling in for the evening, who was there to give him shit about it? 

No one, that's who. 

Peeta took a long drink, letting the alcohol burn its way down his throat.

Finnick was visiting his Aunt Mags for the weekend. Katniss had a date tonight with some meathead she'd met at the gym. Cato, he was pretty sure she'd said the guy's name was, had a neck that looked wider than his head; at least it'd appeared that way in the picture Katniss had shown him. And as a guy who was known for being pretty thick himself, that was saying something. 

It was probably petty of him to be thinking that way- but being Katniss's friend, not to mention someone who was generally non-judgemental about appearances, he kept those thoughts to himself. 

As her roommate, who was secretly in love with her (but too much of a coward to make a move), he could hate the guy's guts all he wanted.

Peeta knew his jealousy over the guy was a particularly shitty response since he'd gone out on a date himself tonight. 

He'd let Gale finally set him up with a girl he knew from work. 

If there was any consolation towards his probably misguided sense of fairness, though, the evening hadn't gone too well. He'd valiantly tried to pay attention to Madge and engage her in thoughtful conversation while trying _not_ to think about what Katniss might be doing with stump-neck Cato. 

Despite his best efforts, the date had been short-lived. They'd both agreed to call it a night when it became apparent there was no chance of igniting any spark between them. One too many drawn-out moments of silence over dinner were a glaring testament to that. 

It wasn't until after he told Madge goodnight and watched her get into her car that the probable explanation popped into his head- she had a thing for Gale. That had to be it because her face had lit up anytime Peeta mentioned his name. He'd just had his head too far up his ass over Katniss to realize what was going on with Madge until that moment.

That particular fact was the perfect addition to the joke the universe seemed to be playing on him that night. 

He had to laugh about it, though. He certainly had no room to judge Madge.

Peeta frowned into his glass after finishing the whiskey in it. He got up and gave himself a refill, pouring himself a fuller glass while he was at it. 

He'd have to be careful not to slosh it over the rim. 

Peeta carried his drink back to the couch and sat down once again. He'd decided to camp out in the living room for a while, his ultimate plan being to wait up and see if Katniss made it home that night. 

_Like a jealous asshole_ , Peeta chided himself. 

He knew he should probably head back to bed but couldn't make himself do it.

_No, no, asshole might be a tad harsh,_ he told himself _. More like an idiot in love with his roommate, who's too afraid to let her know how he feels but still wants to keep tabs on her._

Well, that didn't seem any less asshole-ish, either, Peeta thought. 

He frowned at himself. _How about if he were staying up for Katniss's safety, to make sure she got home tonight? That sounded better._

Peeta jabbed his thumb into the corner of his eye socket in frustration, willing the images in his head to go away. He needed to stop thinking about the myriad of possibilities Katniss might find herself getting into tonight. 

It wasn't any of his damn business, whatever Katniss chose to do.

Peeta got up after finishing his second drink. Instead of going to bed like he knew he should, he poured himself a third glass. Why not, he figured, what the hell did it matter? No one cared what he was doing.

And by the time he was near the bottom of his third glass, he felt less aggravated.

He'd say he was beginning to relax, even. 

All hail the power of booze.

_So what if Katniss never loved him?_ Peeta thought, settling in and getting comfortable after setting his now-empty glass on the table. He'd get by somehow. Maybe he'd join a monastery. 

" _Merow,_ " he heard, as a sudden interjection at the end of his line of thought. Peeta glanced to the left, facing the new arrival who starred knowingly at him from the other end of the couch. 

If he'd been sober, Peeta would have noticed him sooner. His head (which had become both very thick and very heavy) dropped against the back of the couch and lolled to the side like dead weight. He squinted, trying to get a better look at his newly arrived companion. 

Dull yellow eyes stared back at him.

Buttercup. 

The cat belonged to Katniss's sister, but he'd been temporarily bequeathed to them while Prim was spending the summer hiking in Europe. 

"Hey buddy," Peeta greeted the orange tabby, forcing himself to sit up a little further despite the all-over mind and body fuzz. After being greeted, the cat moved closer to him, nuzzling its head beneath his chin as he climbed into Peeta's lap.

Katniss wasn't a big fan of the cat, but he didn't mind him. The two of them got along just fine. Buttercup seemed to like Peeta better than the other occupants of the apartment anyway, but that was probably because he always shared bits of his dinner with him.

The cat settled himself on Peeta's lap, staring at him expectantly. 

"What're you doing up?" he asked, stroking his soft fur. Buttercup leaned forward and gently batted at his cheek. It felt like the cat was commiserating with him, telling him not to feel so bad about things.

"Aww, thanks," he scratched behind his ears and listened to the cat purr. "You're so cute, dude," Peeta told him, "I appreciate the sympathy."

Buttercup turned around and presented him with a view of his tail end before hopping down from his lap. Without looking back, the cat sashayed into the kitchen. 

For some reason (he was decidedly drunk, and there was no one around to hear him), Peeta chuckled. Cats were something else. The way they would nuzzle all over you one second and then show you their buttholes was ridiculous. Sometimes Peeta wished he had half the confidence of that cat. "And how is it you manage to switch from cute to sexy in under a minute?" he called after Buttercup, laughing to himself. "Please tell me; I'm all ears. I need some tips." He was still chuckling to himself a second later, but that quickly died off when he heard a voice speak up from behind him.

How long had she been in the room with him?

"Did you seriously just call that cat _sexy_?" Katniss asked, walking around the corner of the couch and staring quizzically at him. The scowl on her face was tinged with a bit of humor, at least. "I thought I'd come out here and see if you wanted any company, but maybe I should've left you alone with Buttercup a little longer?"

Peeta stared up at her for much longer than was polite to do while trying to assess the situation in his fuzzy mind. He was having a hard time connecting the dots.

Katniss looked like she'd been home for hours. Her face was makeup-free, and her hair hung in a braid over one shoulder with those loose, wispy hairs straggling out around her face the way they did when she'd been lying down. She was in a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. 

Overall it was a much different looking Katniss than the version of her he'd gotten a look at before she'd headed out to meet Cato earlier that night. 

Had she been back in her bedroom the whole time he'd been home? It certainly seemed that way; he hadn't heard her come in.

Hmmm. Katniss's date must not have gone well either. 

That was a real shame.

"Nah. Buttercup and I already had our moment. Frankly, and I hate to tell you this, you spoiled the mood," Peeta told her, grinning. 

A moment later, he let his head fall back against the couch again as she sat down next to him. Drowsiness was creeping up again, and once more, he wished he hadn't drunk so much.

"How'd your date go?" Katniss asked as she settled beside him. 

"It was okay. Short. Madge was nice enough- we just didn't hit it off," he said, "I think she's actually into Gale."

Katniss snorted. She propped her elbow on the back of the couch and leaned into it, her face close to his. He could smell her mint toothpaste when she opened her mouth. "That would be just like Gale to set up someone with a girl who's interested in him," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't mind. I know what that feels like- going out with one person when you'd rather be with someone else," he said, not giving his usual thought buffer to the words he was using. "It wasn't a big deal."

Peeta didn't even notice the funny look that crossed Katniss's face. 

"How about you?" he asked, his eyes moving back to her face as he waited on her answer. 

He was probably staring a little due to lowered inhibitions from the whiskey, but he couldn't help himself. Katniss was just too cute when she was hanging out around the apartment like this, looking messy and comfortable. This look seemed to suit her more than those times when she was dolled-up for a date.

She tucked her legs up beneath her before answering his question. "I ditched him after about an hour," she confessed. "He was acting like a jerk. I don't know why I went out with him in the first place, honestly. I snuck outside and got a cab when he went to the bathroom."

He whistled. "That couldn't have been cheap."

"It was worth it, though," Katniss said, shrugging.

A second later, Peeta took her hand in his, rubbing her fingers with the pad of his thumb. "Want to talk about it?" he asked softly, watching her face. She wouldn't look him in the eye, and he didn't like it. "Do I need to kick his ass?" he added, for good measure.

Katniss shook her head. She didn't say anything, just scooted closer to him on the couch. 

He sat up just long enough to let her settle her head in the crook of his neck. 

"Nah, I don't want to talk about it," she said finally.

Peeta's eyes slipped closed in contentment. He loved having her close like this. It was perfect. And knowing he hadn't lost her quite yet to another guy? Even better. Finding all of his earlier anxiety gone, he was suddenly so tired that he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"I'm just glad to be here with you," she said. "I think I'd rather be here than anywhere else."

When she realized what it was she'd said to him, Katniss caught her breath and held it tight. She hadn't meant to say _those_ words to Peeta right now. They'd just slipped out. What was he going to say?

Agonizing minutes passed while the room remained so quiet, she could hear Buttercup munching on his cat food one room over. "Peeta?" she whispered his name finally, breaking the silence. Her heart was thundering in her ears.

"Yeah?" he mumbled, sounding sleepy and completely unconcerned. 

Katniss rolled her eyes. She wondered if he'd even heard what she'd said to him a moment ago. "I'm glad you're home," she answered, curling into his side more- sure she was in the clear. Now certainly wasn't the time to have this conversation with him, she told herself, especially if he couldn't stay awake for it.

"We should probably go to bed," Peeta said a moment later, surprising her. Enough time had passed in silence that Katniss assumed he'd just dozed off again.

"Yeah, probably," she agreed, pulling away from his arms, a little shy after tangling herself up with him that way. He left her feeling too warm and content in a way she didn't think was right.

Peeta sat up then, rubbing his eyes and looking not even half-awake. "Katniss?" he asked eventually.

"Hmm?" she replied, trying to sound casual and not at all like she was affected by the way it felt to unwind in his arms.

Peeta retook her hand, threading their fingers together. 

She looked up at him, rumpled and handsome in the nice clothes he'd worn out for his date. His hair was flat on one side of his head but sticking up on the other. His eyes appeared unfocused but trying to adjust.

She glanced down at the place where their hands were connected. Peeta wasn't letting go.

Katniss looked up again.

Peeta let out the breath he must've been holding. His expression was severe as if he was relaying to her- Let's _talk, I am sober enough for this conversation_. "I'm not sure if I heard you right... did you tell me you'd rather have been here with me tonight? Not as a friend," he added, sounding unusually blunt, "but here, with me?"

The silence in the room was deafening. "Yes," Katniss admitted, hating the way her voice shook. "I did. I do."

The words seemed to hang in the space between them, and Katniss felt herself begin to panic.

Until Peeta started laughing hysterically, that was, breaking the spell into which they'd fallen. His head landed against the back of the couch when he began howling with laughter.

Katniss scowled, her ire instantly riled up. 

What was wrong with him? "What's so funny?" She asked, her feelings crushing more with each passing minute while anger flooded her body.

Peeta didn't answer. He just shook his head while trying to get himself under control.

She got up on her feet, ready to storm off- mostly because she was going to hit him if she stayed out here any longer. How could she have read him so wrong? She'd been sure he felt something too with the way he'd looked at her.

Katniss tried to make her exit, but Peeta wouldn't let go of her hand, no matter how much she yanked on his. "Wait, I'm sorry," he begged, his laughter ceasing immediately, "please don't go."

"I don't know why I shouldn't," she seethed, "how dare you." There were honest to god tears forming in the back of her eyes. She wasn't going to let him see her cry; that would be abhorrent.

"Please?" He finally asked, releasing her hand once he realized how angry she was, "just stay with me."

Katniss sighed. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sit back down?" He begged.

Katniss didn't answer, but she didn't move to leave the room, either. She remained frozen in place. 

A million thoughts were running free-for-all through her head, and she couldn't seem to settle on any one way she felt. Mostly she was horrified for letting her confession slip. And Peeta, who was usually so kind and who she'd thought would never treat her with anything but respect, had laughed at her?

Peeta got to his feet when it became apparent that she wasn't going to move, paralyzed by her emotions.

"Katniss?" he began- hesitating for a minute but ultimately deciding he'd had enough indecisiveness. He wrapped his arms around her body. She remained stiff against him. She was like a prickly little hedgehog with its guard up, but still, he pulled her as close to him, resting his chin on her head. She was warring with herself still, so, despite his foggy mind, he made a quick decision. 

"I've loved you forever," Peeta admitted quietly, "and I'm an idiot- I shouldn't have laughed, but I just couldn't believe you might feel the same." 

The silence that followed his confession was heavy.

“Peeta-” Katniss began, her voice.

"I'm sorry I laughed," he said again, "really I am."

She sighed in his arms.

"Do you want to sit back down now?" Peeta asked when his head began feeling too sloshy to keep it upright. He was swearing off alcohol for the foreseeable future, he told himself, wishing he were sober for this moment.

Katniss shook her head. "No. But, do you want to come with me and lay down in my room? Not like, you know, I'm not propositioning you-"

He laughed. "I wouldn't complain."

"I just want to be with you right now," she finished, her words muffled against the fabric of his shirt. 

"You don't want to take advantage of me when I've been drinking?" Peeta teased. Damn it all; his eyes were getting heavier. He wished again that he'd laid off the whiskey earlier. "You might get me to put out, Everdeen."

She snorted. The sound made him smile. 

"Not tonight, at least. I mean, yeah, maybe later." Katniss stepped away from him and looked up, "we should probably talk about things when you haven't been drinking, you think?"

Peeta looked down into her face, taking in her flushed cheeks and full lips- her smiling eyes and the way she was contemplating him. She looked happy, so he only hesitated a second before leaning in and brushing his mouth against hers in a slow, soft, undemanding kiss. He lingered there when it was over. The sigh that escaped from her mouth sounded like music. 

The moment felt like coming home.

"Come on," she said, tugging on his hand. "Let's go to bed."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I love comments so let me know what you thought if you're feeling it!


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